Why visualizing and manifestation DO NOT work

[kelster]

Sometimes we have people in our lives that seem to be well and truly ‘stuck’. No matter how much we give them our love, understanding and encouragement, they just seem to be in quick sand. There’s the occasional flicker of hope as they’re handed a stick but then they let go and sink even further.



I used to be one of these people. I guess my flickers of hope were stronger than I anticipated for one day, whilst sinking in my personal quick sand, I was handed a stick by a stranger. Little did I know that before I grabbed the end of that stick, there was crazy super glue on it – there was no way of letting go.



The only way from that point was onwards and upwards form a pit of personal despair that consumed me, to a life of true freedom which I now live. I didn’t want to let go. I craved more of the words and ideas that this stranger gave to me. His name is Shayne Harris and I met him only once. He helped me out of the quick sand as we would talk over the phone about these amazing possibilities that were within my reach and then slowly, our phone calls stopped. Shayne helped me through the roughest part of my journey, but now I was strong enough to stand on my own two feet. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.



Moving backwards was no longer a thought; however, moving forwards became a strong desire. If I could get out of the quick sand and get happy, what else could I do?



That’s when I discovered the law of attraction and boy O boy – at first I was absolutely terrified of what6 I was learning. All those years of being stuck in the quick sand were of my own doing. I was too busy ‘playing the victim’ from all the bad experiences and influences in my life that I never took a breath to look around for the good things. What I focused on grew.



I no longer focused on negative experiences and influences but chose to find a positive in everything that happened to me and in everyone around me. Even if it was the ‘tiniest bit of good’ I was now using my law of attraction to my advantage rather than my detriment.



Why was I scared when I first discovered law of attraction?


I was terrified of the fact that my entire life was, and will always be, a creation of whatever I thought. I was 100% responsible for every good or bad thing that came my way. It was ALL me.



Knowing this fact, with my focus turning slowly to the good things in life, I started receiving positive influences, ideas and emails and I took them all on board with an open mind. My life became positively synchronistic and remains so to this very day.



Emails came to me with links to wonderful tools that could teach me how to manifest anything that I wanted to have in my life. However, way back then,



NONE of these tools worked for me.


I now look back and smile to myself as I know why these internet products never worked. I expected nothing to come of it. These people who taught them were rich and famous. Not like me. (Victim). They knew how to practice what they preached – so to speak. I didn’t. I expected no great results and that’s exactly what I got – Nothing!



Remembering that I was 100% responsible for my success and failures, I took a closer look at myself. One thing I could not find on the internet was how to fix my thoughts – The thoughts of ME!



I embarked on a journey of monitoring my personal thinking. I taught myself how to change a negative to a positive thought, how to be grateful and how to ‘check in’ with myself often until all of these things became a habit. I made it! I was ‘up there’. I could now expect the best from every day, every moment and that’s when the internet tools started working for me. Not a moment before!



I know this is why



Many people are struggling to visualize and manifest their desires.


They pin all their hopes to one magical product when the REAL change must start from within. Go within or go without. It really is that simple.

[GilesC]

Hi Kelster and welcome to the Project Meditation community,

I'm guessing from the quadruple spacing between the paragraphs that that story is not your own but has been copy/pasted from a.n.other website somewhere.

However, I fail to see really how it shows that visualizing and manifestation do not work. Agreed that change must start from within, but visualizing and manifestation are valuable tools in helping to recognise that such things are possible. It's all fine seeing these other "experts" in the LOA doing so well for themselves, but it's not until we put these things into practice for ourselves that we can get a glimmer of what is possible, and it's that glimmer that can help us to realize that potentiality is truly there, both "out there" and "within outselves".

I'm not sure what the reference to "one magical product" is, as the LOA is not a product. There may be people developing paradigms or systems or techniques around the LOA and giving it a name of their own (like "the Secret" for example), but the truth is that the underlying principles are unchanged and have existed throughout time; there is nothing new about them and nothing secret about them; it really is a case that people just need to become aware of what is available within themselves.

The story above actually contradicts itself in all honesty. It's trying to show that manifestation and visualization (LOA) does not work, yet it talks about how the writer "embarked on a journey of monitoring my personal thinking". This monitoring of the personal thinking is an action caused by the desire/requirement to seek a better life, and therefore the author was visualizing themselves in a better life in the future, as that's what they wanted, and that is what eventually manifested. Without the visualization, whether that's at a conscious or subconscious level, there wouldn't have been any desire to carry on or look towards a better future.

Sorry, but I don't feel that story really proves anything except to highlight the fact that we have to change ourselves to change rather than try and change the world around us. That is the only poignant part of it.

Hugs

Giles

[chris-da-fur]

I like to think of the law of attraction as a byproduct of positive inner change, not to be focused on or manipulated, but just to be enjoyed when it shows itself!

Peace!

Chris

[nigelinspain]

In my view the way that visualising works is that it re-conditions your brain to look at things in a different way.

Over the years we become conditioned or hot wired to look at situations, events and even ourselves in a certain way. The more knock backs and failures we have in our lives the more cynical our view of the world and ourselves becomes.

This view, or belief, is how we look at new situations and events in our life. We can´t help it, it is how our brains have become use to working.

But with the use of visualisation we can re-wire our brains to look at a situation or event in a different way, or more importantly, the way we want it to be.

Our brains cannot differenciate between what is real and what is not so if we visualise on a result we want our brain will accept it as being the case.

Let´s face it, sportsmen and women have been using this process for years, and if you look at the writings of the well known self help authors from the turn of the last century they all recommend the same process.

This isn´t something that is new age and untried, this is age old stuff and the reason is because it actually works. The secret is to actually find out how to use the process properly in the first place.

Happy visualisation
Nigel

[Speedy]

Kelster,

You mentioned in your post about turning a positive into a negative. I find that meditation works for me when I am meditating but the rest of the day can be a train wreck. How have you trained yourself to find the good in all? How do I get the all too often rumination of doom and gloom out of my head? I have read several self help books but few talk about the minute to minute aspect of the mind.

Thanks,

Speedy

[sebwallace]

Kelster - great way to put it! I liked your journey and the way you described it! That is such a classic case for most people.

Seb

[Geoffrey]

Originally Posted by Speedy

Kelster,

You mentioned in your post about turning a positive into a negative. I find that meditation works for me when I am meditating but the rest of the day can be a train wreck. How have you trained yourself to find the good in all? How do I get the all too often rumination of doom and gloom out of my head? I have read several self help books but few talk about the minute to minute aspect of the mind.

Thanks,

Speedy

I can resonate with this, I also have this. And I feel its making my life more miserable than it is. I cannot seem to leave the 'victim' mode. any suggestions, here is a man [shouting] for help....help...(...)

Anyway Thank you
Geoffrey

[pollyanna]

Hi Geoffrey,

Here is a link to how I literally went from the pits to paradise:-

The law of attraction

What I would like to add however is the fact that I always knew the missing link for me was being able to meditate (so many of the good books I read stated this)

In hindsight, I look back and see I achieved what I did the hard way - I was extremely driven and clearly understood that I would pay a much higher price if I stayed where I was than the price I would pay in pursuing my dream.

Was it worth it? Every single step I took was worth it - everyday I pinch myself.

That being said, if I had had LifeFlow and been able to meditate then, I would have had the tremendous bonus of observing negative and suppressed emotions, allowing them to fall away.

I believe the many benefits I now enjoy with meditation would have catapulted me forward much faster and although this is of no significance to me now it can be of great service to you and others.

I hope this is of use and I wish you an abundance of peace and joy

[neilcamp]

Although reprogramming the mind has been mentioned in some of the replies above, I think that the most common problem in getting the LOA to work, is not knowing how to remove one's limiting beliefs.

If you want the LOA to work then you need to have the right state of mind. Negative thoughts need to be recognised immediately they are received and replaced with positive thoughts. At first this will seem like cheating, but constant repitition will change the negative thought into a positive one.

The LOA is one of 11 laws of the universe all of which work together to create your better future. To get anywhere with the LOA you need to be passionate and specific about what you want (and be willing to accept it when you get it), grateful and thankful for all that you already have, and believe that you will get what you want, without trying to second guess how you will achieve this. Desperation does not work for the LOA.

One of the most difficult parts is to know what you want, because what you want is often motivated by a lack of that object, and building on this is negative! Try writing down exactly what it is that you want and read it and re-read it until you refine it to be genuinely what you want and not what you don't want. Carry it around with you and read it at least three times a day. Try to feel as if you already have it - get emotional about possessing it. Get excited about it. And then release it from your mind.

Having the right state of mind is not simple to acquire, but with total belief and positive thinking practise, you will find your life changing more towards you goals.

Have fun with it!

[DrJCN]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey

I can resonate with this, I also have this. And I feel its making my life more miserable than it is. I cannot seem to leave the 'victim' mode. any suggestions, here is a man [shouting] for help....help...(...)

Anyway Thank you
Geoffrey

For me, the release of the victim mentality came not only when I determined that I was 100% responsible for everything that had, and continues, to happen to me, but when I forgave myself for allowing it to happen.

It is important to assume 100% responsibility, to me, for 2 reasons. The first is that you are not going to change the people in your life who you are blaming for these things happening around and to you. You can only change yourself!!! The second reason is that, whether you like it or not, you allowed these people into your life and you acted the way to did in order to please them, keep them happy, keep them around you, etc. When you take 100% responsibility, you begin to do things that are in harmony with YOUR desires and needs, and not for the needs and desires of others. An example: many people go into a family business to keep it going...and live a life of misery...blaming the family and the business for their misery...when it was YOU who decided to take the family business as your personal responsibility...there are always options that will make you happy...when we choose off of that menu, we become resentful, and resentful people become victims! Resentment also does not provide the proper backdrop for the Law of Attraction!!!

You need to become conscious of this attitude, and continually remind yourself that YOU are responsible for who you are today and where you are today...and where you will be in the future. It is then that the LOA will begin to work to bring you the things that you think about. And meditation will help you build the framework to leave the victim mentality behind in favor of the 100% responsible model!!!

Julius